15-year-old Gabriel Parker's 2016-2017 yearbook photo.PHOTO:Marshall County High School

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Hearing Set on Possible Tampering in Parker Case

By Bill Hughes

BENTON - Three motions were heard Friday afternoon in Marshall Circuit Court regarding the case of Gabe Parker, the suspect in the Marshall County High School Shooting.

Parker's defense team claimed in a motion that lawyers for the school system, and possibly some teachers or administrators, may have tampered with witnesses by advising them not to talk to anyone working on behalf of the defense.

Assistant Marshall County Attorney Jason Darnell told West Kentucky Star that Judge James Jamison scheduled another hearing on this matter for the morning of February 1, and it will be limited to hearing specific evidence to determine if anyone told a witness not to speak to the defense team.

Darnell said he's "confident that there won't be any doubt that there hasn't been any witness tampering."

A hearing is also set for February 1 regarding the defense motion pertaining to family counseling records they have not yet received. Darnell said that motion didn't really involve his team because they didn't have the records, but Judge Jamison suggested the defense subpoena the records from the doctor. Defense attorneys said they will follow that suggestion.

A third motion pertained to Parker's cell phone records, which defense attorneys had not yet received. Since many of the records would be irrelevant to the case, both legal teams agreed they would confer on what is needed by the defense and make sure they have them. Any records introduced as evidence by the prosecution is required by law to also be available to the defense.

Discussion of a trial date for Parker could be set after the February hearing.